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Spain cruise into women's Euros semis with 2-0 win over Switzerland

Spain cruise into women's Euros semis with 2-0 win over Switzerland

Straits Times11 hours ago
BERN - Spain forward Athenea del Castillo came off the bench to open the scoring and Claudia Pina added a superb second as they beat hosts Switzerland 2-0 on Friday to reach the women's Euro semi-finals, where they will face France or Germany.
After a scoreless first half in which Mariona Caldentey missed a penalty, it took a moment of brilliance from Aitana Bonmati to break the deadlock for the world champions in the 66th minute, teeing up Athenea with an instinctive backheel for the substitute to guide the ball past Swiss keeper Livia Peng.
Five minutes later, Pina doubled her side's advantage as Switzerland captain Lia Waelti was dispossessed just outside her own penalty area, and Pina curled a superb shot into the top corner before wheeling away in celebration.
The drama continued right to the end, with Spain's Alexia Putellas missing a late penalty and Switzerland's Noelle Maritz shown a straight red card for a stoppage-time challenge as the hosts exited the tournament having made it to the knockout stages for the first time. REUTERS
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